Tubular tear strip remover with overlapping edges



y 12, 1953 J. c. BAISCH 2,638,244

TUBULAR TEAR STRIP REMOVER WITH OVERLAPPING EDGES Filed Sept. 27. 1948Patented May 12, 1953 UNITED} STATES PATENT OFFICE TUBULAR TEAR STRIPREMOVER WITH OVERLAPPIN G EDGES John Carroll. Baisch, Whittier, Calif.

Application September 27, 1948, Serial No. 51,363

. 4 Claims. 1- r This invention relates to container opening de vices,and relates more particularly to multiple use openers for openingvarious types of containers. 1 a

It is an object of-the invention to provide a device of this characterwhich has means, for opening various types of containers, which meansare cooperatively and novelly arranged.

Anotheryobject of the invention is to provide a device of this characterwhich is adapted to open tearing strip cans, remove bottle caps, removethe covers of vacuum sealed jars and the like, and punch pouring and/orair holes in evaporated milk cans and the like.

While the device is novel and useful in the combination of its parts andin sub-combinations thereof, certain parts individually possess noveltyand utility. With this in view, it is another object of the invention toprovide an opening device of this character having means for engagingthe tongue of tearing or rip strip cans such as coffee cans, meatcans,.et cetera, and to easily and quickly remove said tearing stripscored in the can body wall by winding said strip thereon.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an opening device ofthis character from which said wound strip may be easily and quicklyremoved so that said opening device may be re-used for this purpose.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a device ofthischaracterthat is highly efficient and effective in opening cans ofthe tearing or rip strip type.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of thischaracter which will securely engage the tearing strip tongue of the canor container without the use ofmovable me chanical parts or'clampingmembers.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device of thischaracter having novel and effective means for prying off' the covers ofvacuum sealed jars and the like.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a device of the presentcharacter, that is sturdy, that is extremely simple in construction, andthat is easy to use, there being a minimumnumber of parts required.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a device of thischaracter that' is relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be brought out in thefollowing parts of the specification.

Referring to the drawings, which are ,for il1ustrative purposes .only,-K i a right and at right angles to Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view of the device as seen from 3-3 of Fig. 1; g a

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the barrel or stem of the device attachedto the tearing strip tongue of a tearing or rip strip can;

Fig. 5 is a similar view after the device has been initially rotated andwinding the tearing strip on the stem has begun;

Fig. 6 is a partial side view of another arrangement of the invention;

, Fig. 'l is a view showing a cross section of the stem of the device ofFig. 6 attached to the tongue of a tearing strip can;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged view of a portion of the barrel or stem of thedevice illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5, wherein there are serrations orteeth along one edge of the lip for engagement with the surface of thetongue of the tearing strip; and

Fig. 9 is a cross section of the barrel or stem of another alternativearrangement of the invention.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, there is shown anopening device embodying the present invention. As shown, the device is:in the general shape of a key and comprises a barrel or stem, indicatedgenerally at I5, a flange adjacent one end and indicated generally atIt, and a handle, indicated generally at IT. These terms have been usedfor convenience, as under some conditions the barrel or stem maybe usedas a handle, as will be more fully described hereinafter.

In Figs. 1, 2 and 3 the barrel or stem [5 is formed of sheet metal andcomprises means for removing the tearing strip of tearing strip cans.The barrel or stem of these figures is of generally tubularconstruction, and the free end, opposite the flange I6, is ofv nogreater cross sectional area than the flanged end. There are offsetoverlapping side edge portions which, where they overlap, are designatedthe inner and outer lips 20 and 2! respectively. With the overlappingconstruction above described, the barrel or stem is spiraled in crosssection, the lips 20 and 2| being spaced apart or offset enough toreceive the tongue of the tearing strip of a tearing strip can. Thisspace between said lips provides a tearing strip tongue receivingopening 22 which extendslongitudinally from the free end of the barrelor stem substantially the entire length thereof between said free endand the flange.

Adjacent the opposite end of the barrel I5 is the flange it which isannular in shape except for cut away portions 23, best shown in Fig. 3,on opposite sides of a pointed projection or punch 24 providing meansfor punchin pouring and/or air holes in evaporated milk cans and thelike. Th punch is located on the same side of the barrel or stem as theoverlapping lips 2 and 2! thereof.

The handle ll comprises a. hat piece of sheet metal received insubstantially diametrically disposed longitudinally extending notchesprovided thereior in the end portion 25 of the barrel or stem whichextends beyond the flange It, said handl being at substantially rightangles to the punch. Bottle cap removing means is provided and comprisesa cap receiving notch, 26. in one edge portion of the handle IT. Thenotch 26 is located at the outer free or uppr edge, as; shown in Fig. 1,there being a cap engaging point 27' projecting into the notch 26 fromth deepest end thereof, said point being shown in Fig. 1 as located atthe upper left hand part of the handie. The outer handle edge is alsoprovided with a curved portion or rockinghump 21 a adjacent the shallowpart of the notch 2 6, said hump rocking on the top of the bottom cap asthe device is actuated during the cap removing operation.

At one side of the handle IT is a vacuum seal jar cover lifter or cam28', which extends outwardl-y beyond the adjacent outer edge of theflange l6 and comprises means for removing covers of vacuum seal jars.and the like. As shown, one side edge of the handle iT is notched at 29to provide cover clearance when prying oh" a vacuum seal jar cover. aswill be more fully described hereinafter, said cam being located in Fig.1 at the lower right hand corner of the handle.

One side of the notch 2-9 is defined by an edge as of the cam 28, saidcam edge being the upper one in Figs. 1 and 2, and is inclined inwardlyand downwardly at an angle to the substantially horizontal lower edge ofsaid cam.

There is also tongue lifting means provided which is shown as located atthe upper right hand end corner of the handle, and comprises a beveledportion 32 terminating in a thin edge 33.

Means for securing the barrel or stem, flange and handle together maycomprise solder or the like. Alternatively these parts may be spotwelded or the like, or some of the parts: may be formed integrally. Arivet. 34 may also be used to -attach the handle I? to. the portion 26of the barrel or stem. Or any other suitable means may be provided forsecuring these parts together. It may also b noted that the flange itholds the barrel l against expansion. 'While the various parts. of thedevice may be otherwise arranged and related to each other, there arecertain advantages in the arrangement or relationshipv shown anddescribed above, which advantages will be brought out hereinafter.

OPERATION Remouing'tearing'strips In using the devicev to remove thetearing, strip of tearing strip cans, the. thin edge 3.3. of. the tonguelitter is pushed. beneath the: tongue: 36 (Figs. 91 and 5) of thetearing or rip strip. 31' of a tearing strip can 38;, said tongue beingthen raised and bent back sov as; to form; an: acute angle with theadjacent end of the. tearing. strip, as shown in Fq'ig. 4, saidtearingstrip lying in substantially the same plane as the side walls ofv thecan. When using the device to lift, the tongue, the: stem or barrel, isheld. the. hand. and the 4 handle is grasped with the thumb and indexfinger. At this time the punch 24, which is located on the same side ofthe device as the overlapping lips, is on the under side and pointedaway from the user.

The tongue 36 is then inserted into the opening 22 of the barrel I5,said barrel being pushed onto the tongue as far as possible so that theouter longitudinal edge. 38 of the outer lip 25 is snugly received inthe angle formed between the tongue 36 and the adjacent portion of thetearing strip 3'1. The tongue should be inserted into the opening 21 at.such a point that the flange I5 engages or abuts against the upper oradiacent edge 4&1 of the can 38 so that said flange will ride on saidedge 40. Should the flange be spaced from. the. adjacent edge of the canafter the tongue has been inserted into the opening 22, the opener maybe. pushed or moved longi tudinally until said flange abuts or touchessaid can edge. This may be easily done as the tongue will easily slidelongitudinally in the opening 22'.

When inserting the. tongue in the opening 22 it is to be noted that thismay be done at any location along the barrel or stem, an advantage inthat different types of tearing strip cans have the tearing strip spaceddi ftercn-tl'yfrom the ad jacent can end. Thus the device is adaptableto a wide variety of tearing strip cans. It. is also to be noted thatwhen inserting the tongue in the opening 22 the tongue bends somewhat tofollow the cross sectional curvature of said open ing, this curvature ofthe opening and tongue being shown in Figs. 3... 4. and 5, and thetongue and adjacent end portion or the. tearing strip form a book whichis hooked over the edge 3?! of the lip 2!. Further, as the barrel orstem is hollow, there is ample room for the free end portion of thetongue to be accommodated. This is of advantage where the tongue israther long, as in some can-s, it being well known. that these tonguesvary in length in different types of cans. The tubular construction ofthe barrel orstem also adds strength thereto, which is of ad tage wherethe stem is of considerable lie for opening" sardine cans and the like.

After the opener has been attached to the tongue 36, as above described,said opener is re tated in a clockwise direction, as indicated by thearrow 41 in Fig. 5, the device being shown in this figure ashaving been.initially rotated so that the tearing strip end adjacent the tongue hasbegun to wind on the barrel l5. Further rotation; of the device, whichis effected by the. handle. 11!, will complete the. removal of thetearing strip from the can, said. strip then being fully wound orcoiledonsaidbarreh The wound. tearing strip. may then be readily removedfrom. the. barrel. by sliding. the coil, from the free end thereof.When. the coiled tearing strip is being removed. from the barrel thetongue will slide in the. opening; 2.2.

It. has been. round. that. when the tearing strip has, been. completelyremoved. from the can, said strip will uncoil, itself slightly, due tothe fact that the. material. has. some resilience. Hence, the coil willbe free to slide on the. barrel or: stern Without binding, and inasmuchas the opening 22 is of suflicient. Width to allow: the tongue to slidetherein, the coiled tearing strip maybe readily slipped from, the barrelof. the device.

This slight unwinding or. uncoilins' of: the wound up tearing strip canoccur because the barrel, is of. substantial. cross sectional. size; orarea, and the periphery is genfirelly rounded-so that there is no sharpcreasing or folding of the tearing strip as it is wound on the barrel.

When the tongue has been inserted into the opening 22 between theoverlapping edge portions or lips 20 and 2|, said tongue lies in a planesubstantially parallel with the plane of said lips and is given lateralsupport on each side thereof over substantially the entire areas of saidtongue sides. In other words, the tongue is given lateral support overboth sides from the outer free edge 39 of the lip 2| to the inner freeedge as of the lip 20; The free end portion or tip of the tongue mayextend into the barrel beyond the free edge 45, and because the barrelor stem 22 is tubular in character such tip can be accommodated so thatthe barrel may be pressed onto the tongue as above described, eventhough the tongue is substantially longer than the width of the lips.

Hence, because of the lateral support given the tongue by the lips 23and 2|, the tendency of the tongue to straighten out and slip from theopening 22 when the device is actuated is substantially eliminated.This, combined with the sharp bend of the tongue at its base to form ahook, provides means whereby said tongue is securely held so that thetearing strip may be torn from the can body. It is to be understoodthat, while the width of the opening 22 is suihcient to permit readyinsertion of the tongue therein, the spacing of the lips 20 and 2! fromeach other is close enough to snugly embrace said tongue. Also, as thetongue itself is not folded over or crimped beyond the above referred tobend at the base, said tongue will readily slide longitudinally in saidopening 22 when the coiled tearing strip is removed from the barrel orstem I5.

It is to be noted that should the tearing strip inadvertently slip fromthe roll as said strip is being wound on the barrel or stem, theremainder of the strip will be picked up by the adjacent part of saidbarrel and there will be no material reduction of the efliciency andefiectiveness of the device because the cross sectional area of thebarrel is of substantial size. Moreover, the strip when thus wound maybe easily removed from the barrel or stem in the manner alreadydescribed.

The flange 08, when resting or riding on the adjacent edge of the can,serves as a stabilizer or guide to minimize variations in theinclination or movement of the barrel or stem longitudinally so as tofacilitate or insure even winding of the tearing strip on the barrel.When thus used, the flange It tends to maintain the desired relationshipof the opener with respect to the can and the tearing strip, and it isto be noted that the point 24 of the punch cooperates with the rest ofthe flange in maintaining said relationship.

Punching holes When using the device for punching holes in cans, thebarrel or stem 55, and the handle, are held with the fingers of theusers hands, and pressure is exerted on said barrel and on the handle[6, by the thumbs of the user. As the punch 2d is located at theoverlapped side of the barrel or stem [5, the smooth side of the barrelis presented for pressure by the users hands when the device is used forpunching.

Removing covers When using the device for removing covers from jarssuch, for example, as those that are vacuum sealed, the lifter or cam 28is inserted flatwise into the space between the under side of the coverand the adjacent outwardly extending flange of the jar. The device isthen rotated so that the upper edge 30 of the cam, as shown in Fig. 1,engages the under edge of the cover and the lower edge 3| fulcrums onthe jar flange.

Further rotation of the device in the same direction will effect liftingup or prying oil? of the cover.

Due to the inclination of the edge 30 of the cam, said cam is urgedinwardly toward the neck of the jar instead of tending to slip from thespace between saidcover and edge of said jar flange.

In using the device for removing jar covers, the barrel or stem l 5 isheld in the users fingers or hand, and the. leverage applied thereby.Or, in holding the device for this operation said stem may be held bythe middle, ring and little fingers while the handle is held by theindex finger and thumb which are disposed on the opposite side of theflange.

Removing bottle caps In removing bottle caps the device is placed on thecap with the point 21 beneath the lower edge of said cap, the barrel orstem of the device being used as a handle to pry ed the cap.

Referring to the arrangement of Figs. 6 and 7 of the invention, thebarrel or stem, here indicated generally at the, is tubular and isprovided with flange it and handle IT. A tongue receiv ing slot 50extends from the free end of the barrel to a point adjacent tothe flange[6. Also the barrel or stem 15a tapers from the flanged end toward thefree end which is somewhat smaller in diameter than the portion of saidbarrel adjacent said flanged end. This tapered arrangement facilitatesremoval of the tearing strip from the barrel when said strip has beenwound thereon.

In using this arrangement of the invention the slot or tongue receivingopening 50 is but slightly wider than the thickness of said tongue whichis inserted into the slot 50 and the barrel rotated to wind the stripthereon. Where the tongue is of suflicient length the free tip thereofmay be engaged with the inner wall 5| of the barrel at a pointsubstantially opposite the slot 50, and due to the curvature of the wall5| the tongue tip is held against material lateral or swinging movement.This is due to the fact that the radius of the tongue is longer than theradius of the barrel or stem.

Referring to Fig. 8, the inner side of the free edge portion of the lip2| is provided with teeth or serrations 55 which aid in gripping thetongue of the tearing strip and in preventing slippage of the tonguefrom the opening 22 when the de vice is used in opening tearing stripcontainers. The teeth 55 tend to dig into the tongue as the device isinitially rotated, and to hold said tongue securely against longitudinalslippage. It has been found that these serrations do not interfere withremoval of the strip from the barrel or stem l5 after said strip hasbeen wound or coiled on said stem.

Fig. 9 shows an alternative stem arrangement, said stem being indicatedhere at I52), and is shown as being a solid bar or rod, rounded in crosssection. The stem or barrel [5b has a tearing tongue receiving openingor slot 60 which extends longitudinally from the free end of the stem asin the other disclosed arrangements. The slot 60 extends inwardly of thestem substantially diametrically thereof, but does not extend entir lyacross said stem, there be n a portion or Wall ,6! which olflses oneside of the slot. This arrangement provides added strength to the stemand prevents twisting thereof under torque stress, which is desirablefor longer types f stems for use in opening certain typ of earing stripcans such as, for example, sardine cans.

As in the arrangement having the overlapping lips, the side Walls of thetongue receiving opening 60 are spaced closely enough together to allowfor but very slight lateral movement of the tongue, but said openin isof such size as to permit the tongue to readily enter same. The curvngof the tongue between the overlapping lips also aids in holding thetongue in the opening 22 during the opening operation, but permits readymovement of said tongue longitudinally in said penin While the teeth v55are shown only in Fig. 8, it is to he understood that teeth may beprovided along the gripping edge of the opening 50 in the device shownin Fig. 6, and along the gripping edge of the opening 50 of the deviceshown in Fig. 9.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, including: a generally tubularstem of sheet metal, spiral in cross section, having overlappinglongitudinal edge portions spaced apart substantially the width of thethickness of a tearing strip tongue; teeth along the free edge of theouter overlapping edge portion; and means for rotating said stem.

2. In a device of the class described: a generally tubular stem of sheetmetal having overlapping longitudinal edge portions spaced apartsufficiently to provide an opening extending from one edge of said sternfor operable reception of a tearing strip tongue; a plurality of teethalong the edge of one of said edge portions and adapted to engage saidtongue; and means for rotating said stem.

3. In a device or the class described: a generally tubular stem of sheetmetal having overlapping longitudinal edge portions spaced from eachother a distance slightly'greater than the tongue of a can tearingstrip, the opening formed by spaced edge portions extending from one endof said stem, said edge portions providing said tongue with lateralsupport through a substantial length thereof when said tongue isdisposed in said opening; teeth along the inner side of the outeroverlapping edge portion; and means for rotating said stem.

4. In a device of the class described: a generally tubular stem of sheetmetal having overlapping longitudinal edge portions spaced from eachother a distance but slightly greater than the thickness of the tongueof a can tearing strip, the opening formed by said spaced portions ex--tending from one end, said edge portions being arcuate in cross-sectionand substantially parallel with each other so as to bend said tongue andplace same under tension when said tongue is in said opening; teethalong the longitudinal edge of the cuter overlapping edge portion; andmeans for rotating said step-1.

JOHN CARROLL BAISCH.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,445,905 Neif Feb. 20, 1923 1,461,151 Keeler July 10, 19231,692,213 Kielherg Nov. 20, 1928 1,803,171 Charlestream Apr, 23, 19312,094,114 Avery Sept. 28, 1937 2,300,270 Wakefield Oct. 27, 19422,326,191 Zabler 1- Aug. 10, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date334,582 France Dec. 24, 1903 44,073 Switzerland May 4, 1908 27,164=Norway Aug. '7, 1916 260,157 Great Britain Oct. 28, 1926 692,515 GermanyJune 21, 1940

